This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Air blade/turbine designs are known that convert the velocity of air in the form of wind to a rotation of a turbine or generator to create electricity. Air conversion systems are commonly limited to placement in areas where steady wind speeds are common, limiting their effective use. Water conversion devices are generally more efficient than air conversion devices because flowing water has approximately 832 times more energy density than flowing air. An increase in flow increases a power output as a function of the square of the velocity increase. Wave energy devices are known which use the upward and downward movement of waves to create electricity. Wave devices, however, can require a significant distance from land, which increases the complexity of building and maintaining these devices. Dams block or substantially block water channels such as rivers and streams and commonly direct a stored column or head of water through rotating turbines to generate electricity. Dams, however, can create significant ecological problems, and are commonly expensive to build and maintain. Dams also rely on the height of the water column and therefore are commonly required to be located where the greatest available stored water column can be stored, limiting their placement sites.